GFWC-NC Fundraising Update – Inspirational Women

Federation Friday: Volume 1, Issue 51 - June 21, 2019

Federation Fundraising at its Best!

In keeping with the Fundraising FUN from recent years, our “Most Inspirational Woman” contest has been incredibly inspiring! Our 9 District Contestants demonstrated they knew how to have fun and how to raise money!! They were all FABULOUS!

Representing District 1, Jane Carver portrayed Jane C. Croly and she said: If you are going to be a part of something to do with GFWC, who else would you choose for inspiration but Jane Cunningham Croly. Jane embodied Croly’s spirit from head to toe in the perfect period costume!

District 2 Representative Courtney Pruitt portrayed Amelia Earhart and had this to say: Amelia Earhart’s bravery, courage, dedication to women’s rights, coupled with a strong sense of independence, inspire women today to chase their dreams and to fight for all that they believe in.

District 3 put an interesting spin on our contest! Ellen Patterson, Georgann Sapp, Ann Vipperman and Gay Warren together portrayed Caroline Clubwomen. They said: We are single women, wives, daughters, mothers and Yia Yias. We are bankers, educators, professionals, technology gurus, homemakers and healthcare workers. We celebrate our first paycheck, first child, retirement and the first project we chair. We believe volunteers can change our world! We love to laugh, serve, and enjoy chocolate!

District 4 Representative Kelly Paul was with us in spirit! Kelly raffled a quilt made by her Grandmother Mary Jones Mullins (their inspirational woman), her Mother, and Kelly. They said the following: Mary Jones Mullins is a clubwoman from Kentucky. She is just like any woman in our organization, a regular person, who through the strength of her club, made great things happen for her local community and the state of Kentucky.

District 5’s Representative Kristen Riggan was unable to attend, so 1st time Convention attendee and new club member, Nicole Fleming, beautifully portrayed “Rosie the Riveter.” In Kristen’s words: We chose Rosie because she truly represents the strength and versatility of women. These women, many with young children and husbands at war, stepped up and took on very important roles.

District 6 didn’t have to venture too far to find their Inspirational Woman!! OUR very own, Mrs. Juanita Martin Bryant. They chose Juanita because she has 67 years of service to GFWC and her community. She is a mentor, and her incredible leadership has inspired numerous women to become leaders themselves throughout the federation.

District 7 Representative, Tammy Kesky chose to portray Lady Liberty. Lady Liberty’s story is one that is familiar to all of us. She represents freedom, friendship, and democracy. GFWC Clubwomen are continuously “Living the Volunteer Spirit.” Tammy said, “I chose Lady Liberty because she represents ‘everyone’ and is the spirit of Unity in Diversity.”

District 8 Representative Brandy Selos selected Florence Nightingale. As a registered nurse by trade, there is no doubt that Florence Nightingale has served as an inspiration for Brandy! Florence Nightingale’s lasting contribution has been her role in founding the modern nursing profession. She set an example of compassion, commitment to patient care and diligent and thoughtful hospital administration.

From District 9, Donna Harrell (who is no stranger to these types of contests) selected Juliette Gordon Low. Donna said Low was an amazing woman who would not let men control what girls or women could enjoy. She devoted her life to teaching females how to survive in the world. She was the Founder of the Girl Scouts of America.

Our contestants danced into the meeting to the tune of “She’s a Lady” by Tom Jones. GFWC-NC President Ann Landis, along with guest speaker Nancy Witter, assisted with presenting “mer-mazing” prizes (mermaids) to each of our contestants. Our runner-up was District 5’s Rosie the Riveter! And, our winner and the recipient of the “Annie Award” (and bragging rights!) was District 7’s Lady Liberty!

A huge “THANK YOU” to all our “Most Inspirational Woman” contestants – you are ALL “RockStars”!! For the first time, this year, we made online voting available. Donations of just over $3,000 came in prior to the start of our Convention, and the total dollars raised was just over $13,000!!

Resources

The GFWC of North Carolina is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and its purpose is to unite member clubs into a statewide charitable organization of volunteers for the promotion of education, community service, fellowship, and leadership development.